Glossary of the food sector

Label

Any trademark, brand name, sign, image, or other graphic representation written, printed, stamped, marked, embossed, or impressed on or accompanying the packaging or container of a food.

— Source: Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, Art. 2(2)(i)

Label approval (US term)

(a) No final label may be used on any product unless the label has been submitted for approval to the FSIS Labeling and Program Delivery Staff, accompanied by FSIS Form 7234-1, Application for Approval of Labels, Marking, and Devices, and approved by such staff, except for generically approved labels authorized for use in § 412.2. The management of the official establishment or establishment certified under a foreign inspection system, in accordance with parts 327 and 381, subpart T, must maintain a copy of all labels used, in accordance with parts 320 and 381, subpart Q, of this chapter. Such records must be made available to any duly authorized representative of the Secretary upon request.

(b) All labels required to be submitted for approval as set forth in paragraph (a) of this section will be submitted to the FSIS Labeling and Program Delivery Staff. A parent company for a corporation may submit only one label application for a product produced in other establishments that are owned by the corporation.

(c) The Food Safety and Inspection Service requires the submission of labeling applications for the following:

(1) Sketch labels as defined in paragraph (d) of this section for products which are produced under a religious exemption;

(2) [Reserved]

(3) Special statements and claims as defined in paragraph (e) of this section and presented in the context of a final label.

(4) Requests for the temporary use of final labels as prescribed in paragraph (f) of this section.

(d) A “sketch” label is the concept of a label. It may be a printer's proof or equivalent that is sufficiently legible to clearly show all labeling features, size, and location. The Food Safety and Inspection Service will accept sketches that are hand drawn or computer generated, or other reasonable facsimiles that clearly reflect and project the final version of the label.

(e) “Special statements and claims” are statements, claims, logos, trademarks, and other symbols on labels as defined in this paragraph (e).

(1) The following are considered special statements and claims:

(i) Those not defined in the Federal meat and poultry products inspection regulations or the Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book;

(ii) “Natural” claims, regardless of whether they are defined in the Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book; and

(iii) Health claims (including graphic representations of hearts), ingredient and processing method claims (e.g., high-pressure processing), structure-function claims, claims regarding the raising of animals (e.g., “no antibiotics administered”), products labeled as organic (except for those where only individual ingredients are labeled as organic), and instructional or disclaimer statements concerning pathogens (e.g., “for cooking only” or “not tested for E. coli O157:H7”).

(2) The following are not considered special statements and claims:

(i) Allergen statements (e.g., “contains soy”) applied in accordance with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act;

(ii) Negative claims regarding ingredients not listed in the ingredients statement (e.g., “No MSG Added,” “Conservative Free,” “No Milk,” “No Pork,” or “Made Without Soy”);

(iii) Statements that characterize a product's nutrient content in compliance with Title 9 of the CFR, such as “low fat”; and

(iv) Claims related to geographical significance, such as “German Brand Made in the US,” or those that make a country of origin statement on the label of any meat or poultry product “covered commodity,”[1] or displays of geographic landmarks, such as a foreign country's flag, monument, or map.

(f)

(1) Temporary approval for the use of a final label that may be deemed deficient in some particulars may be granted by the FSIS Labeling and Program Delivery Staff. Temporary approvals may be granted for a period not to exceed 180 calendar days, under the following conditions:

(i) The proposed label would not misrepresent the product;

(ii) The use of the label would not present any potential health, safety, or dietary problems to the consumer;

(iii) Denial of the request would create undue economic hardship; and

(iv) An unfair competitive advantage would not result from the granting of the temporary approval.

(2) Extensions of temporary approvals may also be granted by the FSIS Labeling and Program Delivery Staff provided that the applicant demonstrates that new circumstances, meeting the above criteria, have developed since the original temporary approval was granted.

— Source: 9 CFR 412.1

Labeling

Terms, phrases, trademarks, trade names, images, or symbols referring to a product that appear on any packaging, document, notice, label, tape, or collar accompanying or referring to that product.

— Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/848, Art. 3(52)

Lagomorphs

Rabbit and hare meat, as well as rodent meat.

—Source: Regulation (EC) 853/2004, Annex I

Large wild game

Wild terrestrial mammals living freely in the wild that do not fall into the category of small wild game.

— Source: Regulation (EC) 853/2004, Annex I

Laying hens

Animals of the Gallus gallus species intended for the production of eggs for consumption and aged at least 18 weeks.

— Source: Reg. (EU) 2018/848, Art. 3(30)

Legal name

The name of a food prescribed by the applicable EU provisions or, in the absence of such provisions, the name prescribed by the laws, regulations, and administrative provisions applicable in the Member State in which the food is sold to the final consumer or to mass caterers.

— Source: Regulation (EU) 1169/2011, Art. 2(2)(n)

Letter of Access

Original document by which the owner of data protected under this Regulation consents to the competent authority using that data, under specific terms and conditions, to authorize a plant protection product or approve an active substance, synergist, or safener for the benefit of another applicant.

— Source: Regulation (EU) 1107/2009, Art. 3(12)

Limit of determination (LD)

The validated minimum residue concentration that can be quantified and recorded as part of routine monitoring using validated control methods.

— Source: Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, Art. 3(2)(f)

Liquid eggs

Unprocessed egg contents after removal of the shell.

—Source: Regulation (EC) 853/2004, Annex I

Liquid form

A suspension or solution, where suspension is a two-phase dispersion in which solid particles are held in suspension in the liquid phase, and solution is a liquid free of solid particles, or a gel, including pastes.

— Source: Regulation (EU) 2019/1009, art. 2, point 6

Locally farmed species

Aquaculture species that are neither alien nor locally absent within the meaning of Article 3(6) and (7) of Council Regulation (EC) No 708/2007, respectively, as well as the species listed in Annex IV to that Regulation.

— Source: Regulation (EU) 2018/848, Art. 3(41)

Long journey

Journey exceeding 8 hours, starting from the moment the first animal in the consignment is transferred.

— Source: Reg. (EC) 1/2005, Art. 2(m)

Low-calorie food

Food with an energy content reduced by at least 30% compared to the original food or a similar product.

—Source: Reg. (EC) 1333/2008, Art. 3(2)(f)